The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree which will hereinafter be denominated varietally as "Bev's Red" and, more particularly, to a peach tree which produces fruit which are mature for commercial harvesting and shipment approximately May 15 to May 18 in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California and which are large sized, highly colored and of good quality.
The development of new varieties of fruit trees is a continuing and necessarily painstaking process. The commercially significant attributes and general quality of tree fruit available on the market continues to improve as the result of the discovery and development of new varieties of fruit trees. As a consequence, varieties which were once considered superior may be surpassed in a very few years by new varieties with greater commercial appeal. Thus, in an effort to keep pace with competitors, many of those within the industry aggressively seek new varieties of superior character, particularly as to those criteria which the industry deems most important. Without such efforts, there is a risk of not remaining competitive in the marketplace.
However, the selection of superior fruit tree varieties from among a myriad of candidates requires patient observation over many years. A new variety which is a descendant of an existing, commercially successful variety may be an attractive candidate. Nonetheless, frequently such new varieties lack certain characteristics required for commercial success. It is rare to find such a new variety which exceeds the characteristics of an illustrious parent in a multiplicity of commercially significant criteria. The new variety of the present invention is believed to be such a descendant.